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'Sea of Trees' is a story of suicide averted

'The Sea of Trees'

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe, Naomi Watts

The premise: American Arthur Brennan treks into Aokigahara, known as the Sea of Trees, a mysterious dense forest at the base of Japan's Mt. Fuji where people go to commit suicide. On his journey to the suicide forest, he encounters Takumi Nakamura, a Japanese man who has lost his way after attempting suicide. The two men begin a journey of reflection and survival, which affirms Arthur's will to live and reconnects him to his love for his wife.

Directed by: Gus Van Sant

Length: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Rated: PG-13 for mature themes, disturbing images and language

GARY GOLDSTEIN, LOS ANGELES TIMES: Three stars out of four stars. Given that it was booed after screening at 2015’s Cannes Film Festival and is opening against a tide of poor advance reviews, Gus Van Sant’s “The Sea of Trees” proves a stronger movie experience than one might expect. It’s anchored by a fine, understated performance by Matthew McConaughey and a deeply felt, if at times melodramatic, story that proves strangely immersive. ... Director Van Sant, who notably ping-pongs between more mainstream and riskier film fare, lands somewhere in the middle here, carefully — and mostly successfully — juggling the intimate demands of Chris Sparling’s reflective script with the tale’s ethereal, often demanding backdrop. Stirring cinematography by Kasper Tuxen is another plus.